CLEMSON, SC – Clemson forced 27 turnovers and capitalized on them to the tune of 35 points in a 74-55 win over Radford (5-5) on Sunday afternoon in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Lady Tigers (2-7) never trailed, and won despite dressing just seven players for the contest.
“I am just so proud of them,” said Head Coach Itoro Coleman. “They came out and were very focused. We had great energy at the beginning of the game. We stuck to the gameplan, and everybody was ready when their number was called. Seven is enough, and they believed and they came out here and showed it today.”
Nikki Dixon scored a game-high 21 points on 8-12 shooting, while freshman Nyilah Jamison-Myers tallied her first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, to go along with three blocks. Aisha Turner had a career-high 12 points and five of Clemson’s 17 steals, and Quinyotta Pettaway returned after a one-game absence to put in 12 points, grab six rebounds, and four blocks.
Chancie Dunn was also solid, filling the stat sheet to the tune of nine points, six assists, six steals, and three rebounds.
It was the second time in three games that Clemson shot above .500 percent from the floor, and Sunday’s day was bolstered by a 12-18 (.667) mark in the second half. The .667 shooting was Clemson’s highest since 1998, and the 8th-best all-time in a half.
After Clemson built a 39-19 lead at the half, Dixon scored 15 of her 21 in the second frame to help the Lady Tigers hold on. In the past two games in which she’s played, Dixon’s tallied 46 total points, and 33 of those have come in the second half.
The Tigers did commit a season-high 27 turnovers, including 19 in the second half, uncharacteristic of a team that entered the game averaging 16.0 per game, the second-best mark in the league.
Defensively, Clemson held the Highlanders to .292 shooting and an 8-31 (.258) mark in the first half en route to holding their sixth opponent of the season below 60 points.
Clemson led the entire game, scoring the game’s first four points, and had the margin fluctuate between three and seven before an 11-2 run pushed the Tigers to a 28-15 lead with 3:14 to play in the first. The Tigers then scored eight straight before the half to go into the break up 39-19.
The closest Radford would get the rest of the way was 16 with 13:28 to play. Clemson promptly scored seven straight points to take their biggest lead of the game as Dixon raced up the floor and beat everyone to the rim for a fastbreak layup. Moments later, Dunn converted a three-point play with 9:39 to play to give Clemson a 57-32 lead. Pettaway gave the Tigers their largest lead at 59-32, and Radford got no closer than 24 points until a couple of desperation shots fell with less than a minute to go.
Clemson will travel to Myrtle Beach on Monday, and will take on Providence at 9:00 pm on Wednesday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
December 6, 2024
